Method and apparatus using magnetic resonance imaging for tissue phenotyping and monitoring

Abstract

Provided herein is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique and, optionally, software, collectively referred to as the “shutter-speed” model, to analyze image data of cancer patients. Embodiments provide a minimally invasive, yet precisely accurate, approach to determining whether tumors are malignant or benign by distinguishing the characteristics of contrast reagent activity in benign and malignant tumors. Exemplary embodiments provide MRI measured biomarkers for tumor malignancy determination and monitoring, effectively eliminating or limiting the false positives suffered by existing MRI techniques while also improving tissue phenotyping and therapeutic intervention monitoring and prediction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for determining a level of cellular metabolic activity for a region of interest, the method comprising:
 receiving a first set of DCE-MRI time-course data for a region, wherein a contrast reagent is administered prior to imaging;   identifying a region of interest from the first set of DCE-MRI time-course data for further analysis; and   analyzing the first set of DCE-MRI time-course data for the region of interest using computer implemented software to produce a first SSM T i  value that accounts for transcytolemmal exchange effects, wherein the water exchange between cells or blood and interstitial spaces is assumed to have a finite speed resulting from interaction with the contrast reagent, and wherein T i  is indicative of the level of cellular metabolic activity for the region of interest.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the region of interest is located in the breast of a human. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the method is performed before biopsy. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , where identifying a region of interest for further analysis is done manually. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , where the identifying a region of interest for further analysis is done automatically. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising spacially registering the image data to correct for a patient's movement during imaging. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received image data is acquired using unsupressed — 1 H 2 C—. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received time-course data is taken over a period of time greater than about seven minutes. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a second set of DCE-MRI time-course data for the region of interest, wherein the second set of DCE-MRI time-course data is obtained after the region has been treated;   analyzing the second set of data for the region of interest using computer implemented software to produce a second SSM T i  value that accounts for transcytolemmal exchange effects, wherein the water exchange between cells or blood and interstitial spaces is assumed to have a finite speed resulting from interaction with the contrast reagent, and wherein T i  is indicative of the level of cellular metabolic activity; and   determining the difference between the first SSM T i  value and the second SSM T i  value.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising spacially registering the second set of data to correct for a patient's movements during imaging. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the second set of data is acquired using unsupressed — 1 H 2 C—. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the second set of time-course data is taken over a period of time greater than about seven minutes. 
     
     
         13 . A method of tissue characterization based on water kinetics, the method comprising:
 receiving DCE-MRI time-course data for a region, wherein a contrast reagent is administered prior to imaging;   identifying a region of interest from the DCE-MRI time-course data for further analysis;   analyzing the DCE-MRI time-course data for the region of interest using computer implemented software to produce a SM K trans  value, wherein the water exchange between cells or blood and interstitial spaces is assumed to be substantially infinitely fast;   analyzing the DCE-MRI time-course data for the region of interest using computer implemented software to produce a SSM K trans  value, where the water exchange between cells or blood and interstitial spaces is assumed to have a finite speed resulting from interaction with the contrast reagent;   analyzing the DCE-MRI time-course data for the region of interest using computer implemented software to produce a SSM T i  value that accounts for transcytolemmal exchange effects; and   plotting SM K trans  and SSM K trans  v. SSM T i  to determine a value for the correlation between SM K trans  and SSM K trans  and SSM T i .   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising determining a Δ K trans  value comprising SSM K trans −SM K trans . 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the region of interest is located in the heart of a human. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the region of interest is located in the breast of a human. 
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented method for determining a level of cellular metabolic activity for a region of interest, the method comprising:
 receiving DCE-MRI time-course data for a region, wherein a contrast reagent is administered prior to imaging;   analyzing the DCE-MRI time-course data using computer implemented software to correct for potential  1 H 2 O signal reduction due to transverse relaxation effects;   identifying a region of interest from the DCE-MRI data for further analysis;   analyzing the DCE-MRI time-course data for the region of interest using computer implemented software to produce a first SSM T i  value that accounts for transcytolemmal exchange effects, wherein the water exchange between cells or blood and interstitial spaces is assumed to have a finite speed resulting from interaction with the contrast reagent, and wherein T i  is indicative of the level of cellular metabolic activity for the region of interest.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the region of interest is located in the prostate of a human. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the received image data is acquired using unsupressed — 1 H 2 C—. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the received time-course data is taken over a period of time greater than about seven minutes.